Apparatus for changing rolls



May 14, 1929. MCARTHUR 1,712,575

APPARATUS FOR CHANGING ROLLS Filed May 3, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l H1IIIIIIIIIII #677702 E. Mkerwue, M

- A's rib/neg May 14, 19 9- A. R. M ARTHUR APPARATUS FOR CHANGING ROLLSFiled May 3, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet QM NM Patented May 14, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR R. MCARTHUR, OF GARY, INDIANA, ASSIGNOB TO AMERICAN SHEET AND TINPLATE OOMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR CHANGING ROLLS.

Application filed May 3, 1927. Serial No. 188,602.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for changing the rollsof a rolling mill, and has for its object the provision of an apparatuswhich will facilitate the changing of the rolls and require less laborthan the apparatus now generally in use.

By using the apparatus of this invention, the time necessary to change apair of rolls is materially reduced and, therefore, the tonnage outputof the mill is increased accordingly.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a set of rollsbeing changed.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the rolls changing housing.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the housing.

Figure 4 is an end view of the housing.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation on line V-V of Figure 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates aroll stand or housing from which the rolls 3 and 4 are being removed.The roll stand 2 is of standard design in which the rolls 3 and 4, whichare comparatively light weight, are the working rolls and are backed upby heavier backing rolls 3 and 4*. The lower backing-up roll 3 isjournaled in fixed bearings, while the upper backing-up roll 4* ismounted in the usual counterbalanced bearings, (not shown,) whichnormally hold it in its upper position against suitable roll adjustingscrews, (not shown,) so that when the adjusting screws are loosened thisupper backingup roll will move upwardly away from the working roll 4 andpermit the working rolls 3 and 4 to be withdrawn from the housing. Therolls 3 and 4 are shown partly withdrawn from the housing 2 and carriedby the suspended roll changing housing A, which housing also carries anew set of rolls 5 and 6 to be mounted in the roll housing 2. The rollchanging housing A is suspended by a doubleloop sling composed of loops7 and 8, which sling is suspended from an overhead carrier such as thehook 9 of a traveling crane, (not shown).

The roll changing housing A comprises a lower coupling member 10 havinga coupling socket 12 formed on each end thereof adapted to receive thewabblers or pods of the rolls to be changed. A pair of side plates 13and 14 are bolted to the opposite sides of the coupling member 10 andextend above said coupling to form guides for a pair of upper couplingmembers 15 and 16.

The coupling member 15 and 16 are mounted, end to end, in the spacebetween the side plates 13 and 14 above the coupling member 10 and havecoupling sockets 17 and 18, respectively, on their outer ends whichsockets are in vertical alinement with the coupling sockets 12 on themember 10.

The coupling members 15 and 16 are provided with a pair of dovetailedguides 19 on each side face, which guides are fitted into undercutguideways 20 in the side plates 13 and 14 and are adapted to maintainthe coupling members 15 and 16 in parallel alinement with the couplingmember 10.

The coupling members 15 and 16 are adapted to be adjusted verticallyrelative to the coupling member 10 by pairs of left and righthandthreaded screws 22-23 and 24-25.

The screws 22-23 and 24-25 are journaled between ball-thrust bearings 26in counterbored portions 27 of apertures 28 in the coupling members 15and 16, and have their lower ends threaded into nuts 29 keyed incounterbored portions 30 of the apertures 28.

' The bearings 26 are secured in the counterbored portions 27 of theapertures 28 by threaded bushings 31, while the nuts 29 are secured inthe counterhored portions 30 by threaded plugs 32.

The upper ends of the screws 22-23 and 24-25 are provided with bevelgears 34, and the gears 34 on the respective pairs of screws 22-23 and24-25 are in mesh with bevel gears 35-36 and 37-38 on shafts 39 and 40,respectively' The shafts 39 and 40 are journaled in bearings 41 and 42,respectively, on the couplings 15 and 16 and are provided with squaredends 43 to receive a crank or other suitable tool for turning saidshafts. By turning the shafts 39 and 40 the operator may readily adjustthe coupling members 15 and 16 vertically so that they are correctlyspaced to receive the wabblers or pods of the rolls to be changed.

The bottom of the coupling member 10 and the side plates 13 and 14 areprovided with grooves 45 and 46 which are spaced, respectively, an equaldistance from the opposite ends of the device so that when the loops 7and 8 of the sling are mounted in said grooves and the housing iselevated, said housing will be balanced in the sling.

In changing rolls in accordance with the method of this application, thenew rolls 5 and 6 are first mounted, one above the other, in a suitablerack Y, as shown in Figure 1. The housing A is then lifted by the craneor other lifting element, with the loops 7 and 8 of the sling in thegrooves and 46, and the housing is moved endwise so that the sockets 12and 17 on the one end of the device are moved into position to receivethe wabblers or pods on the one end of the new rolls 5 and 6.

he one loop 7 of the sling is then removed from the groove 45 andmounted around the free neck portions of the rolls 5 and 6, and thehousing and rolls are moved into a position opposite the end of the millroll housing from which the rolls are to be removed. When the rollchanging housing is positioned opposite the rolls to be changed it isthen moved endwise so as to enter the wabblers or pods of the rolls tobe chan ed into the coupling sockets 12 and 18. ter the both sets ofrolls are thus engaged in' the roll changing housing, the loop 7 of thesling is again moved into the groove 45 and the crane is then operatedto move the housing A and both sets of rolls endwise so as to remove theold rolls endwise through the window of the roll housing and free of themill. After the old rolls have been removed from the roll housing, theroll changing housin A, which is now supporting both the old an newrolls, is turned 180 degrees so as to reverse the position of the oldand new rolls relative to the roll housing, and the crane is thenoperated so as to move the new rolls endwise into the roll housingthrough the window in the side thereof. After the new rolls are thusmounted the sling loop 7 is removed from the groove 45 and mounted overthe necks of the old rolls, and the roll changing housing A and oldrolls are then moved away from the mill.

When removing the old or worn rolls 3 and 4 through the window of theroll housing 2, the bearing boxes and 51 are necessarily removed withthe rolls. Therefore, it is necessary to provide new bearing boxes 50and 51 on the necks of the new rolls which will be mounted in the sideof the roll housing from which the bearing boxes are removed.

The above method provides for quick changingof the rolls and eliminatesmuch of the manual labor now necessary, and, therefore, is superior toany of the methods of changing rolls now generally used.

I claim 1. A roll changing housing, comprisin a coupling member having acoupling socket at each end thereof, a pair of other couplin membersarranged end for end and mounte above said first named coupling member,said last named coupling members being provided with coupling sockets ontheir outer ends, and means for adjusting said last named couplingmembers vertically relative to said first named coupling member.

2. A roll changing housing, comprisin a coupling member having acoupling socket at each end thereof, a pair of side plates secured tosaid first named coupling member and extending materially above the topface thereof, a pair of other coupling members arranged end for end andmounted above said first named coupling and within said side plates,said last named coupling members being provided with coupling sockets ontheir outer ends, and means for adjusting said last named couplingmembers vertically relative to said first named coupling members.

3. A roll changing housing, comprisin a coupling member having acoupling soc 'et at each end thereof, a pair of side plates secured tosaid first named coupling member and extending materially above the topface thereof, a pair of other coupling members arranged em for end andmounted above said first namedcoupling and within said side plates, saidlast named coupling members being provided with coupling sockets ontheir outer ends, and screw means for adjusting said last named couplingmembers vertically relative to said first named coupling members.

4. A roll changing housing, comprisin a coupling member having acoupling socket at each end thereof, a pair of side plates secured tosaid first named coupling member and extending materially above the topface thereof, a pair of other coupling members arranged end for end andmounted above said first named coupling and within said side plates,said last named coupling members being provided with coupling sockets ontheir outer ends, means for adjusting said last named coupling membersvertically relative to said first named coupling members, and means forguiding said last named couplings during their vertical movement.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

ARTHUR R. MoARTHUR.

